CYBERNIC TREATMENT: Recovering Lost Bodily Functions

Cybernic functional regeneration treatment using Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) may become a new standard treatment for all neurological ambulation disorders such as neuromuscular diseases including SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy), ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) etc.

When a person intends to move a part of her or his body, the brain sends nerve signals to the muscles. People with physical disabilities, whose nervous systems are damaged cannot send these signals reliably to the muscles, resulting in difficulties moving as they would like. Such disabilities have been considered difficult to treat until now. However, a newly developed “cybernic treatment”, revolutionary robot treatment system that will regenerate and improve the patient’s own brain-neuro-physical functions, has begun providing dramatic changes in patients’ abilities to move autonomously.

Cybernic Treatment dosen't strengthen muscles. Instead, it improves connections with the nervous system

Mechanism:

~ When a person intends to move a limb, the brain sends signals through the spinal cord and the nerve cells to the muscles. Information of the “limbs movement.” returns to the brain from the sensory signal during the motion. Such network loops of signals help maintain the brain's healthy condition.

But sickness or injury can damage this network loop, resulting in difficulties moving.

Even for a person with a disability, signals sent from the brain to the muscles leaks onto the skin surface as a very faint signal.

Installing of innovative sensors on HAL (Hybrid Assistive Limb) which could read and analyze the signal so that the robot could be controlled voluntarily by the wearer’s intention.

Most important is the neural loop between the brain and the other parts of the body. Repeated exchange of the signals will reinforce the synaptic connections and drive relearning. Cybernic treatment improves and regenerates the physical function of the patients who suffer from disease such as neuromuscular disease.

Application:

~ Cybernics is seen as a medical technology in countries like Japan, Italy, Germany etc. Because this is a new industry for ageing society where it can provide solutions with new technologies. These innovations will greatly contribute to the world as we shift into the next generation.